This Semester

Digital Politics (aka Digi) has opened my eyes to new technologies and schools of thought in the digital media that I had not previously realized existed. We are entering a new era of society, evolving completely around technology and we must be willing to respond to new issues as they arise.

Copyright laws need to change for the 21st century. There are ways for organizations to make profits without keeping individuals from using copyrighted materials or downloading music or movies illegally. The right answer is not making it more difficult for people to rip music and movies off the Internet, rather a peaceful coexistence needs to be created between the two groups.

The speakers we have had in class have been interesting and informative. Although Dan Nye may have a more optimistic view of LinkedIn than many critics have, his dedication to the company must be applauded. LinkedIn generally has a great idea for the future of social networking, and if they continue improving the site and expanding the options, I can see it as being just as successful as Facebook. Harris Miller made sweeping generalizations about post-secondary education, and I disagree with him on many of his points. Although career colleges may be useful for some people who do not wish to get much of a higher education, it is absolutely incorrect to say that they are the best option for the majority of the country. Stu Ingis was probably the most interesting of the speakers we have had this semester. Although I disagree with many of the philosophies some of the companies he represents in regards to Internet law, he seems to represent them well and has a knowledge in the subject far beyond many others.

All in all, I have learned more in this class about Web policy and issues than I ever knew existed. I think that the future of the Internet and social networks in particular looks wide open and it will be interesting to see how governmental and corporation policy will adapt to the new technologies the Internet allows.